With a distinct ego-free gameplan, Matthew Mott’s side have bypassed the toxicity highlighted by a cultural review

In the middle of 2017, as Australian cricket’s pay dispute punched holes in relationships across the sport, the national women’s team quietly set about preparing for a World Cup tilt. Signed up on temporary contracts, and put into a very tricky bind, they did their thing and got on with it.

Last Monday, when the cultural review brought the game to its knees in the most dramatic fashion, Meg Lanning’s side set about completing a dominant clean sweep against Pakistan in Malaysia to secure their No 1 ranking in the 20-over game on the cusp of the World T20.